Here’s a number that might surprise you: 98 per cent of people read online reviews before choosing a local business. Not sometimes. Almost every single time.
And here’s the thing – they’re not just reading what your customers say. They’re reading what you say back. Or more accurately, they’re noticing when you say nothing at all.
Google reviews are the most visible thing about your business online. More visible than your website, more visible than your Facebook page. When someone searches “plumber Bairnsdale” or “café Lakes Entrance,” your star rating and your reviews are the first thing they see. Before your phone number. Before your address.
Yet most regional businesses treat reviews like a set-and-forget thing. A five-star review comes in? Nice. A one-star complaint? Ignore it and hope it goes away.
Both of those are missed opportunities.
Responding to good reviews is marketing you’re not doing.
When someone takes the time to leave you a positive review, a simple “Thanks for coming in, glad you loved the fish and chips” does more than you’d think. It tells the next person reading your reviews that there’s an actual human running this business. It also signals to Google that you’re active, which helps your listing show up more often.
You don’t need to write an essay.
Two sentences is plenty. Use their name if they’ve left one. Mention something specific about their visit if you can.
Responding to bad reviews is reputation management.
This is where most people freeze up. Someone leaves a one-star review and your gut says to either fire back or pretend it doesn’t exist. Both are wrong.
The best response to a negative review isn’t for the person who wrote it – it’s for the hundred people who’ll read it afterwards.
They want to see that you handled it calmly, took it seriously, and offered to make it right.
Something like: “Sorry to hear that, mate. That’s not the experience we aim for. Give us a call on [number] and we’ll sort it out.” That’s it. You’ve just turned a bad review into proof that you care.
Three things to do this week:
First, open Google Maps, search your business name, and read your reviews. All of them. See what people are actually saying.
Second, reply to your five most recent reviews – good or bad. Keep it short, keep it human, keep it genuine.
Third, start asking happy customers to leave a review.
Not in a pushy way. Just a simple “If you’ve got a minute, a Google review would really help us out.” Most people are happy to – they just don’t think of it unless you ask.
Your Google reviews aren’t just feedback. They’re a conversation happening about your business whether you’re part of it or not. Might as well join in.
Matt Rowlands runs Your Mate Agency, a web and digital marketing business based in Mallacoota.
